CHIANG MAI, 27 August 2012: The government should extend the non-immigrant visa from one year to three years to support the long-stay tourism market, Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce and Thai Hotels Association Northern Chapter told TTR Weekly last week.

THA Northern Chapter president, Phunut Thanalaopanich, said it was backing the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce in its efforts to improve long-stay and was presenting facts on the market to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Extend the non-immigrant visa particularly for Japanese travellers, who are mainly retirees over the age of 50 and fit the profile of the long-stay visitor,” he said.

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2012/08/long-stay-needs-longer-visa/

"Particularly" for Japanese, not "only" for Japanese

Anyway, it's only a press release by an association. Who cares?

If there retired in Thailand let em do one year extension like the rest of us.

Nothing to get excited about. This recommendation is made by people who don't know the difference between a visa and a permission to stay. They are just shooting off their mouths to get their names in the papers. Nothing will come of it. The ministers concerned are not reading the newspapers for suggestions about what they should do. Changes about visas and extensions of stay are brought about in entirely different ways.

It's a pretty silly article. The Malaysia My Second Home program is available to most nationalities just based on qualification. Japanese are known for having generous pensions compared to westerners so I can understand the motive to attract them. Also they confuse 90 day address report with 90 day extension for those on annual retirement extensions in Thailand. Before they shoot their mouths off the next time, they might consider learning some basic facts.